Reviews

The Lavender Garden by Lucinda Riley

gabmc's review against another edition

3.0

I found this book a little bit slow to get into, but once I was about one third in I really started to enjoy it. Emilie is from a French aristocratic family and has just lost her mother. Her much older father had died many years earlier. After her mother dies, Emilie has to decide what to do with the family chateau. As she is making this decision, she meets Englishman Sebastian, who tells her his grandmother knew her father during WWII. The book goes back to WWII to explain Constance's (Sebastian's grandmother) connection to Edouard (Emilie's father). Throughout the book there is the mystery of whether or not Emilie is the last one in her family, what is the true relationship between Sebastian and his brother Alex and what happened to the aunt that Emilie didn't know she had. I enjoyed how the author transitioned between the two time periods and while the ending was a bit 'too neat' overall I liked this book.

eleonora_98's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

luciearan's review against another edition

5.0

Krásný, romantický příběh, který má duši a na poutavosti mu neubírá ani střídání dvou časových linií. Tato kniha se čte v podstatě sama.

positivewoman2013's review against another edition

5.0

This was ever so good and one I would highly recommend. In Lucinda's style, she gives us a complete story by including the descendants story!

bovantol's review

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

ides's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

sofiesshelves's review against another edition

5.0

Wow zo goed!! Echt een mega aanrader als je fan bent van boeken over de 2de Wereldoorlog met een beetje romantiek in! Er zitten zoveel verassingen en geheimen in het boek die je langzaam ontdekt, dat het spannend blijft

arincanna's review against another edition

5.0

Ich liebe es. Es hat mich so mitgenommen. Das Ende war aber schon sehr perfekt. Aber auch das ist okay.
Emilie und Seb - naja, was soll ich sagen. Interessant.

leona_omahony's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I saw a recommendation for this book from a friend on Facebook so I went out and purchased it . Well I’m so glad that I did and it was a fabulous read . I’ve read the Seven Sisters series by the same author and loved them . This one is a standalone and it has everything I love in a book . Told in dual timeline , during world war 2 and the late 90’s.  Brilliant characters and two excellent storylines .  Highly recommend for fans of historical fiction .

lifeand100books's review

5.0

A few weeks ago Todd wrote a post about what it's like living with me when a book makes me emotional. As much as I feel bad about making him bear witness to me being a simpering mess, I can't give up books that elicit strong emotional responses from me.  In my opinion, books that can generate these strong responses are well written, engaging, and in some way relatable. Every book that I've read by Lucinda Riley can be categorized as one of these books. Her latest, The Lavender Garden, topped my list of reads for 2013 and is every bit as moving as her last two books The Girl on the Cliff & The Orchid House.

From Goodreads:

La Côte d’Azur, 1998: In the sun-dappled south of France, Emilie de la Martinières, the last of her gilded line, inherits her childhood home, a magnificent château and vineyard. With the property comes a mountain of debt—and almost as many questions . . .

Paris, 1944: A bright, young British office clerk, Constance Carruthers, is sent undercover to Paris to be part of Churchill’s Special Operations Executive during the climax of the Nazi occupation. Separated from her contacts in the Resistance, she soon stumbles into the heart of a prominent family who regularly entertain elite members of the German military even as they plot to liberate France. But in a city rife with collaborators and rebels, Constance’s most difficult decision may be determining whom to trust with her heart.

As Emilie discovers what really happened to her family during the war and finds a connection to Constance much closer than she suspects, the château itself may provide the clues that unlock the mysteries of her past, present, and future. Here is a dazzling novel of intrigue and passion from one of the world’s most beloved storytellers.

As I stated earlier, Riley's novels make me into a simpering mess. I should add that I LOVE that about her novels. Her novels don't make me cry due to sadness, they make me cry because of their beauty. The way they explore difficult facets of life. The types of characters she chooses to explore. The Lavender Garden hooked me for one particular reason....the characters. Talk about a smorgasbord of different people!  The mark of good writing is when you get completely immersed into the characters' lives. You feel joy and pain with them. They aggravate you. They make decisions you cringe or cheer at. Emilie, Constance, Edouard, Alex, etc are all so well-drawn and configured.

Riley is a master at weaving the past and present together in a way where it all makes sense. The elements of mystery, love, romance, and suspense that she is able to incorporate into her stories are what make them such page-turners. The twists and turns present in The Lavender Garden make it difficult to discuss any plot points in-depth without giving things away, so just trust me when I tell you - the emotional journey Riley takes you on is so, so rewarding. If you've ever read anything by Kate Morton, you're sure to enjoy Riley's novels. And if you've never read something by either author you're sincerely missing out.

Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
Originally Posted: http://wp.me/p18lIL-2dW